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Eating disorders & body-shaming 'fat clubs' in English women's football

Former Lioness Claire Rafferty opens up on her bulimia, while experts call for change.

WARNING: Some listeners may find the material in the podcast upsetting.

Former England winger Claire Rafferty talks to The Sports Desk podcast about her struggles with bulimia and a culture of "fat clubs" and body shaming in English football.

With new research suggesting more than a third of top English players show symptoms of disordered eating, we’ll be asking what more needs to be done to protect and educate players.

We're ed by psychology lecturer Dr Carolyn Plateau, leading sports dietitian Renee McGregor, Carly Perry from the School of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Central Lancashire and Dr Alex Culvin from global players’ union Fifpro.

WARNING: Some listeners may find the material in the podcast upsetting. is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

: Sarah Mulkerrins, Jo Currie, Carolyn Plateau, Renee McGregor

Producer: Sam Sheringham

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59 minutes

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